Gun mechanism



O. HORSRUD GUN MECHANI SM May 22', 1945.

Filed July 4, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet -l I IJ O. HORSRUD May 22, 1945.

GUN MECHANI SM May 22, 1945.

O. HORSRUD GUN MECHANISM Fired July 4, 1959 :s sheets-sheet 3 Mmmm NM. Mm. WM.

Mic.

Patented May 22, 1945 y 2,376,35sf

GUN MECHAN ISM 01e Horsrud, Fox River Grove, lll., assignor to Sears, Roebuck and Co., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of New York Application July 4, 1939, Serial No. 282,759

(Cl. 4t2- 43) Claims.

This invention relates to firearms and is concerned more particularly With a firearm of the over-under type, i. e., having two barrels, one over the other.

It is an object of my invention to provide an improved cocking mechanism.

It is a further object to provide a rearm of this character in which the breech or frame section is of minimum depth.

A further object is to provide in a rearm a frame section which is of trim appearance and is constructed to enable the rearm to be cocked upon the breaking thereof.

It is another object to provide a rearm ofthe over-under type which does not require the cocking lever pivot to be below the frame proper and which may be cocked with minimum effort.

It is also an object to provide a firearm of the character referred to affording increased bearing area for the breaking pivot.

Another object is to provide a firearm of the character referredl to which does not require the cooking lever pivot to be below the frame proper and which must be cocked before the lower barrel can be unloaded or loaded.

Further objects and advantages oi the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

The invention will be better understood upon reference to the following description and accompanying drawings, .in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary longitudinal section elevation `of a rearm constructed in accordance with one form of the invention, with the weapon uncooked and the barrel section locked.

Fig. 2 is a View similar to Fig. l but taken from the opposite side of the firearm and showing the barrel section closed but with the locking bolt retracted to allow the firearm to be broken.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan View showing the extent of turning of the releasing lever to unlock the barrel section, taken substantially as indicated by the line 3--3 in Fig. 2..

' Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. 1 but with the firearm fully broken so that the extracted and newly inserted shells for the lower barrel may clear the breech frame, the locking bolt and its actuating mechanism having returned to the positions shown in Fig. 1.

Fig 5 is a view similar to Fig. l but with the iirearm cocked.

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are sectional views taken substantially as indicated by the lines 6 5, 'i-I and 8 8, respectively, in Fig. 2.

Fig. 9 is a View of a portion of Fig. 2 but with the fore-end removed and the gun broken, in the process of assembly or dis-assembly.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary sectional View taken as indicated by the line IIJ-I D in Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary sectional view taken as indicated by the line II-I I in Fig. 10.

Fig. 12 shows a detachable connection betweenthe fore-end and the barrel section.

y Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there is shown at I5 a breech or frame section and at IB a barrel section pivoted together at Il. The frame has a U-shaped forward extension I9 whose bight 2B carries a pivot pin 2l about which a lug 22 depending from the barrel section I6 is hooked. A fore-end 25, preferably U-shaped to match the portion I9 of the frame,

may be releasably secured to the barrel section` I6 in any suitable manner, as by a spring clip -26 (Fig. 12) mounted on the fore-end and adapted to be connected to and disconnected from the lower barrel, and a lug 21 on said barrel releasably `received in an opening or slot 28` in the fore-end. The frame affords a bearing surface 29 co-axial with the pivot pin 2|, and the foreend 25 has a cooperating bearing surface 30.

Pivotally mounted at 3l on the frame I5 is a top or releasing lever 32 urged by a spring 33, by engagement of an end 34 thereof in a notch '35 of said lever, into preferably longitudinal alinement with the rearm but swingable until said spring end contacts the wall 36 (Fig. 8). lA releasing link 3l is pivoted as at 38 in an upstanding recess 39 (Fig. 2) in the frame and has its upper end 48 disposed in a recess 4I in the lever 32. The lower end 43 of the link 31 is received in a notch 44 in a locking bolt 46 which is shown as U-shaped (Fig. 7) to provide clearance for another part of the mechanism as will appear. longitudinally slidable in the frame I5 and normally projects in advance of the face or standing breech 48 of the frame, which face is adapted to abut the rear face 49 of the barrel section I6. The bolt 46 terminates forwardly in a cam nose 5!! adapted to be received in a recess 5I in the rear lower portion of the barrel section.

Assuming the gun has been red and it is desired to cock it, the lever 32 is turned counterclockwise, looking at the top of the mechanism shown in Fig. 3, moving the upper end 40 of the link 3l forward and consequently the lower end 43 of the link backward, retracting the locking bolt 46 and pulling the nose 5I] thereof out of the barrel section recess 5I. This action also results in withdrawal of the firing pins from the primers of the shells (not shown), as will appear, whereupon the rearm may be broken. When the rearm is slightly broken, so that the primers of the shells are raised above the places at which the ring pins struck, and the locking bolt is out of the recess 5I, the thumb pressure on the lever 32 may be withdrawn since the forward projection of the locking bolt and firing pins vat such time will not interfere'with the barrel section I6 and the shells in the continued breaking movement.

The bolt 46` isv of ring hammers 54 and 55 terminating forwardly in reduced firing pins 56 adapted to be thrust into the primers of the shells (not shown) carried by the barrels 51 and 58 (Fig. 1). The hammers may be stopped in their forward motion by means to be described. The hammers 54 and 55 are supported rearwardly in a bracket 6|, suitably secured to the upper and lowervtangs 62 and 63 ofthe breech frame, and are urged forwardly by firing springs 64 which rearwardly abut collars 65 about the hammers and forwardly abut lugs 61 integral with or rigidly mounted on the respective hammers. The lugs 61 are urged into engagement with the rear upstanding arm of a cocking lever 1| which may be of the first class, Vfulcrumed at 12 to the bottom plate-13V of the frame I5, the aforementioned bight constituting a forward extension of the plate 13. The arm 10 is illustrated as a fork straddllng the hammer 55 but could be a single prong or of any other desired form. The link 31 has a lug 15 which is adapted to seat in a recess 16 so that the link may be ush with the rear upstanding breech wall 11 when the end 43 of the link is in its forwardmost position. lThe lug 15 is engageable with the arm 10 of the cocking lever 1I when the top lever 32 is turned as explained above, forcing the cocking lever to turn counterclockwise as viewed in Fig. 2. The lever arm 10 during such movement retracts the lugs 61, at the same time that the lower end 43 of the link 31 retracts the locking bolt 46, until the firing pins 56 and the locking bolt nose 50 are flush with or back of the breech frame face 48, whereupon the weapon may be broken about the pivot |1. Pressure on the lever 32 may be released before the cocking is completed, as is evident from the foregoing. It is thus apparent that although the springs 64 are of proper strength to re'the weapon, they need be stressed only a slight amount to permit release of the pins 56. The pressure of the spring 33 on the release lever 32 is likewise small but sufcient, so that only a light, nominal eifort is needed to turn the lever 32 sufliciently to withdraw the locking bolt I46 and 'firing pins 56 to the extent necessary to permit the weapon to be broken. It will be observed that this effort is spread over a substantial angle of turn of the release lever,32, so that the force and energy required are A spring a5 anchored at as to the mg 22 and at 81 to the pin '83 urges the pin forwardly for a purpose which will appear.

The bottom plate 13 of the frame I5 preferably has its lower face89 flush withthe lower face 90 of the fore-end when the firearm is closed (Figs. l, 2 and 5), and has a slot 92 in which the fulcrumed portion of the lever 1II is received. The locking recess 5| is formed in a lug 93 Vdivided therebelow at 85 to straddle the forwardly extending actuating arm 96 ofthe cocking lever 1| and to project down into anfen'largedopening 91 at the forward end of the slot 92 `and-lie preferably flush with the bottom surface 89; The bottom of vthe opening 91 is preferably substantially filled by the arms of the lug v83 andthe adjacent portion 98 of the lever arm lltwhenthe'weapon is unbroken, Vas is yapparent from Fig. 1. The frame bottom is slotted at |00 to accommodate the lever arm 96, and the end IOI of Said arm is adapted to lie between the rear end |03 of the cocking pin 83 and the barrel 58 at all times, while the gun is assembled as is apparent from Figs. 1 and 4.

It will be observed from Fig. 11 that the cocking pin 83 has a longitudinal slot |05 in which a screw |06 inthe lug 22 projects to limit the forward and rearward movement of the pin. As has been stated the` spring 85 urges the pin 83 forwardly. It will be observed, however, that as the foreend is moved rearwardly into its operative position on the barrel section I6, its bearing surface engages the forward end of the pin 83, which at the beginning of such movement is relatively disposed as shown in Figs, 9 and 11, and moves the same to its substantially rearmost, i. e., 0perative, position against the action of the spring 85, as shown in Fig. 1. Now when it is desired to cock the gun, the firing pins 56 and locking'bolt 46 are i'lrst withdrawn in response to a light pressure of the thumb on the lever 32, and the weapon is broken about the pivot I1. During the break ing action, the cocking pin 83 swings about the pivot I1 as a unit with the barrel section and fore-end 25, the rear end |03 of th'e pin engaging the under side |01 of the cocking lever arm 86 and sliding forwardly therealong as it rotates the cocking lever 1| clockwise about its fulcrum 12, as is apparent upon inspection of Fig. 4. At the same time, the extractor |01a is moved rearward from the barrel section in a conventional manner.

As the cocking lever 1| swings as aforesaid, its arm 10, acting against the lugs 61 and springs 64, forces the hammers 54 and 55 rearward until the shoulders |08 of the notches |08 in the rear ends I I0 of the hammers pass rearwardly beyond the sear ends I I I, the sears being pivotally mounted as at ||2 on the bracket 6| and pressed by springs I I3, as yshown in Fig. 4. The springs, acting through the sears,. also press the triggers down. 'The breaking of the firearm is limited by engagement of the rear end |I4 of the fore-end 25 with the bight 20 of the breech frame I5. The breaking is stopped with the pin 83 still engaged with the cocking lever arm 56, so that it is impossible to accidentally overswing the barrel section when the firearm is assembled. It will be observed from Fig, 4 that the hammers 54 and are thrust back slightly farther than is necessary to effect their locking in cocked position by the sears I I I. Unless the firearm is substantially fully broken, there may be insufficient clearance for ejection and insertion of shells from and into the lower barrel 58. Thus is insured the cocking of the weapon before the lower barrel 58 can be unloaded or loaded.

The barrels are then loaded, whereupon the barrel section |6 is swung clockwise, the rear, preferably inclined face ||5 of the lug 93 striking the nose 50 of the locking bolt 46 and camming the same rearwardly against the action of spring 33. When the closing of the fire arm is completed (Fig. 5), the spring 33 snaps the Inose 50 of the locking bolt `46 into the recess 5|, lockcocking lever 1I ing the barrel section in place for firing. When the closing of the firearm is commenced, the is free and the same moves counterclockwise by engagement of the upper part of the Vend |0| thereof by the bottom wall l|1 of the barrel section until finally the cocking lever occupies substantially the position shown in Fig. 5. Thereupon kthe weapon may be fired, the retraction of the upper and lower sears being effected respectively by the triggers |20 and I2I, pivoted at |22 to the lower `tang 63. A `piece gers.

|23 may separate the triggers. Any suitable safety means shown generally at |25 may be employed to prevent accidental operation of the trig- A conventional or other suitable guard |21 may be provided for the triggers.

When either or both triggers are pulled, the lug or lugs 61 fiy forward, striking the cocking lever arm which in turn abuts the wall 11 of the breach frame and thus 'stops the ring hammers as shown in Fig. 1.

'I'he purpose of the spring 85 is to move the cocking pin 33 forward suiciently to clear the cocking lever 1| when the fore-end 25 is removed from the barrel section, as by springingthe clip 26 (Fig. 12), oif the barrel 58, whereupon, after the release lever 32 is moved to retract the firing pins and locking bolt sufficiently to enable the remainder of the rearm to be broken, the remainder of the firearm may be broken as seen in Fig. 9, enabling the lug 22 to be Afreed 4from the pivot pin 2| so that the barrel section I6 may be completely separated from the breech frame I5. By a reversal of this procedure, the parts of the gun may be reassembled, so that, when the fore-end 25 is in position, it holds the cocking pin 83 in a position where it projects under the cocking lever arm 95 as is evident from Fig. 1.

It will be observed that the cocking arrangement is such as to aiford the application of a large torque to the cocking lever 1|, with a minimum of exertion on the part of the operator in breaking the rearm. This is possible by virtue of the fact that the actuating force exerted upon the cocking lever by the cocking pin 83 is applied at the forward extremity of the cocking lever arm 9B. The other arm 10 of the cocking lever applies its cocking force to the lugs 61 at a relativeltT short distance from the cocking lever fulcrum 12, so that there is a force multiplication enabling the operator with relative ease to force back the lugs 61 to cock positions against the resistance of the firing springs 64.

The firing springs are preferably not of the rebound type, so that relatively less energy need be expended to overcome their initial resistance to the initial retracting movement of the firing pins to permit breaking. Also, because of the nature of the springs, less force is required to l cock the Weapon.

Various changes coming within the spirit of my invention may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and, hence, I do not wish to be restricted to the specific form sho-wn or uses mentioned.

I claim:

1. A rearm comprising a barrel section including a pair of barrels arranged one over the other, a breech section hinged to said barrel section, firing pins in said breech section and disposed to re shells in said barrels, 'springs constantly urging said pins toward said barrels, cocking means for said pins, said means comprising a cocking lever having a forked arm straddling the lower pin, the prongs of said arm being engageable with both of said pins, actuating means engageable with said lever to cock the firearm during breaking, a fore-end detachably carried by said barrel section and operative to maintain the hinged relation between said sections and engageable with said actuating means to maintain said actuating means in engagement with said lever, and yieldable means yurging said actuating means to separate from said lever and operative to automatically effect such separation when said fore-end is detached. f

2. A firearm comprising a barrel section including a pair of barrels arranged one over the other, a breech section hinged to said barrel section, ring pins in said breech section and disposed to fire shells in said barrels, springs constantly urging said pins toward said barrels,

cocking means for said pins, said means comprising a member engageable with both of said pins for moving them rearwardly, and means for locking and unlocking said sections and operative through said member'. during unlocking movement to retract said pins to allow the firearm to be broken, said cocking means being operative independently of said locking and unlocking means.

3. A rearm comprising a barrel section, a breech section hinged to said barrel section, a firing pin in said breech section and disposed to re a shell in said barrel section, a spring constantly urging said pin toward said barrel section, cocking means for said pin, said means comprising a member engageable with said pin for moving it rearwardly, means for locking and unlocking said sections and operative through said member during unlocking movement to retract said pin to allow said firearm to be broken, said member being engageable directly with and between said breech section andpin when the pin fires, so that the thrust is borne by said breech section. I

4. A firearm comprising a barrel section including a pair of barrels arranged one over the other, a breech section hinged to said barrel section, firing pins in said breech section and disposed to re shells in said barrels, springs constantly urging said pins toward said barrels, cocking means for said pins, said means comprising an intermediately pivoted cocking lever having a forked arm straddling the lower pin, the prongs of said arm being engageable with both of said pins, actuating means engageable with the other arm of said lever to cock the rearm during breaking, a fore-end detachably carried by said barrel section and operative to maintain the hinged relation between said'sections and engageable with said actuating means to maintain said actuating means in engagement with said lever, and yieldable means urging said actuating means to separate from said lever and operative to automatically effect such separation when said fore-end is detached.

5. A rearm comprising a barrel section including a pair of barrels arranged one over the other, a breech section hinged to said barrel section, ring pins in said breech section and disposed to fire shells in said barrels, springs constantly urging said pins toward said barrels,4 cocking means for said pins, said means comprising a member engageable with said pins for moving them rearwardly, means for locking and unlocking said sections and operative through said member during unlocking movement to retract said pins to allow the firearm to be broken, said member being engageable directly between and with said breech section and bothl pins when the pins re, so that the thrust is borne by said breech 

